Eskridge Home | Before + Afters

November 13, 2020

This is a project that brightened up a pretty crazy 2020 for us, despite Covid19 making some aspects of it a bit trickier. Our clients contacted us at the end of 2019 when they had just purchased their beautiful home in the Esk Hills, Hawke’s Bay. They took possession of the house early 2020 and hired us to help them furnish it. Essentially no structural work was to be done, and the kitchen and bathrooms were not part of our brief (other than a mini makeover in the powder room).

Let’s walk through the home with some ’before & afters’ and I’ll explain what we did. Although the house was already painted a neutral, slightly beige-y shade, we re-painted it a fresher, lighter shade of white. The change is subtle but it’s amazing how it elevates and gives the home a more contemporary feel.

You can see in the ‘before’ photo above the little nook to the side of the front door. As soon as we saw it we knew the perfect furniture piece for here. I measured the space and found it would fit with millimetres to spare and was the exact depth. The cabinet with internal shelves is used for the family’s shoes, and a matching nook on the opposite side has hooks for coats and hats. We chose the dish on top of the cabinet to throw the car keys as you enter. The print features colours that we’ve used throughout the home, whilst the frame picks up the oak in the cabinet.

The previous owners had a single runner down the long hallway. We had two gorgeous, deep teal runners custom made to fit either side of the front door, leaving the walkway from the door into the main living area clear. The two runners help to lead your eye down to the rooms beyond, and add a softness to the polished concrete floors.

The original home owners had a round dining table, which was nice, but our clients had their hearts set on a long antique French-style table. We found the perfect table for them and it works so well in the space. The long table sits beautifully in front of the large window and leads your eye out to the view as you enter the room. We teamed it with deep green velvet chairs, super comfy for long, leisurely dinner parties.

The dining area sits between the main living room and the kitchen in a large open space. The light hanging over the dining table helps to zone that area, and we used a large wool rug to zone the living area. The existing schist fireplace echos schist on the exterior of the home, so the clients wanted this to stay.

The living room consists of several custom pieces. We had a large corner sofa made, which enables multiple people to either watch TV or enjoy the incredible view beyond. A pair of custom made arm chairs create a social setting with the sofa; and a large custom made ottoman tucks under the coffee table and can be used to put your feet on, an extra seat, the kids can lie on it, or you can pop a tray down for drinks. We had the artwork behind the sofa commissioned for the room.

We had new curtains made for the living room and chose a matt black curtain rod for a more contemporary look. We then replaced the venetian blinds on the smaller windows with roman blinds in the same fabric.

As I mentioned, we didn’t do anything in the kitchen, other than provide a set of cool barstools. But there was a built-in drinks cabinet tucked in a corner between the kitchen and dining room. It was made from a beige-y yellow melamine product (or similar), and this didn’t look great once we painted the walls in a fresher white, so we got our painters to give it a new lease on life by painting it black and we added cute brass handles.

At the other end of the large open plan living area, past the kitchen is a smaller living room that we dubbed “the sunroom”. It’s always great having two living areas in case the kids are watching TV in one room and you want a quieter spot for a glass of wine with your girlfriend (one example that springs to mind).

We liked the previous owners furniture layout, it created a social setting and you could enjoy the gorgeous view from the sofa.

Because this room is smaller we chose to add circles and curves to soften the straight lines and angles. A large round wool rug grounds the furniture which includes a small round coffee table, and a pair of custom made curved armchairs. These are covered in outdoor fabric to protect them in their sunny spot. A small round side table brings a touch of colour and pattern. It contrasts the chairs and coffee table, which we deliberately kept light and leggy to give an airy feel in this light-filled room.

Along the hallway that leads to the bedrooms, there is a small guest powder room. The client asked us to give this a mini makeover, meaning they didn’t feel the need to change the toilet or handbasin, but they did want to remove the frieze that ran around the room.

We replaced the frieze with a stunning wallpaper that echoed the teal blue runner outside. We swapped the mirror out for a round one to soften the strong angles in the basin and vanity; and we also replaced the smaller fixed accessories like the hand towel rail and toilet roll holder for slimmer matt black versions.

Another of our custom curved armchairs sits in the corner of the master bedroom and also creates a focal point as you walk down the hall into the room.

In the master bedroom we had the chair, the headboard, the bedside tables and the ottoman at the foot of the bed custom made. We took our colour palette from the gorgeous art piece that we chose for the room, and it also repeats colours used in other areas of the home. We wanted the room to be a calm oasis for our clients to escape to after a busy day.

The cushion was also custom made, as most of our cushions are to ensure the best quality and longevity.

We wanted the guest bedroom to also have a calm and peaceful vibe, so we painted it a soft green blue. Once again the headboard and cushion were custom made and we chose bedding to compliment.

Finally we move on to the two little girls’ rooms, which we had so much fun designing. Both these rooms had bright blue feature walls before we got to them. It’s our belief where possible to paint or wallpaper all of the walls in a room. Feature walls were big in the 90’s so they can look dated now, and we encourage you to embrace your choice of paint or wallpaper and just go for it!

On occasion this room will be used by guests also, hence the king bed. But the little girl is still very young so we wanted a room that she could love as well as having a quiet sophistication for when adults stay.

We had the headboard, the long cushion, and the chair all custom made for this room. When she outgrows the whimsical wallpaper it can be stripped and the room painted, but the headboard and chair will still work for a teenager or young adult.

Little sister has a pair of single beds so big sister can share the room when needed, and when she’s a bit older her friends can stay over. We piped these curved custom headboards, which might just be my favourite of all of them. The wallpaper is a bit bolder in this room, but the colour scheme has a sense of continuity between the two children’s rooms.

What a great way to finish, on one of my favourite photos. I hope you enjoyed this tour and getting a glimpse into the journey. Thank you so much to our amazing clients (who were a pleasure to work with) for allowing us to share their home with you.

Shed 5 Apartment | Before + Afters

October 16, 2020

One of the first enquiries we got in 2020 was from a lovely Auckland couple who had just purchased an apartment in Ahuriri, Napier with the dual purpose of an Air BnB to rent out, and a home-away-from-home for when they were visiting family in Hawke’s Bay. They hired us to help them furnish the apartment and turn it into a space that they would really enjoy staying in.

We wanted to create a “moment” at the front door to welcome the family and guests in. On the right we hung a series of hooks above a smart black bench seat. This is practical for hanging coats and bags, and plopping your handbag down when you arrive, or putting your shoes on when you’re about to leave. You can see we also painted the front door a glossy black, which elevates the entrance and links to the black elements inside.

On the left as you enter we put a beautiful, sleek console table and created a vignette on top. We chose furniture pieces with simple, clean lines in keeping with the modern loft apartment vibe we wanted to create. Above the console a large mirror is great for checking your appearance, putting on lippy etc as you head out. The circle adds a nice softness and contrast to the straight lines around it. We replaced the roller blind on the front entrance window with gorgeous white shutters, and how amazing do they look?! Because you can angle the blades it allows light and privacy at once. We are huge fans of shutters!

The stairs are a big architectural element of the apartment and are quite industrial. You can see in the “before” photo there was a chunky desk under the stairs when we first visited, but as the stairs are already quite heavy looking, we wanted to keep it a lot cleaner and lighter underneath.

We had the sofa custom made in a soft, neutral colour, and it’s super comfy for the family and their guests.

So many people make the mistake of pushing all of their furniture to the outside of the room, up against the walls and then have this cavernous space in the middle of the room (see above). What we like to do is pull the furniture in to give it air and a more spacious feel. This is where a large rug is great, it grounds the furniture so that it doesn’t feel like it’s floating in the middle of the room.

By adding beautiful soft and floaty linen curtains we’ve added a softness and texture to the hard, straight lines of the room. They’re not needed so much for privacy so we didn’t need to line the curtains, which allows a lovely filtered light to come in.

Upstairs there are two bedrooms. The master bedroom has a small second space beyond separated by black French doors. We added more linen curtains here, this time lined to stop the morning light from streaming in and, again, to add softness.

We wanted the bedroom to have a boutique hotel vibe, so we had an extra wide headboard custom made that ran behind the bed and the bedside tables. We also switched the old wall lights out for simple matt black lights to tie in with the other black touches throughout.

The bedding is from Foxtrot Home, including the fabulous reversible quilt at the foot of the bed, and we had the long lumbar cushion custom made.

A black bench seat at the end of the bed is the perfect spot for popping your bag or suitcase when you arrive.

The second bedroom had a couple more challenges for us. Our clients wanted two single beds for their children to use, but also the versatility of being able to push the beds together to form a king bed if guests wanted that. Echoing the long headboard in the master bedroom, we had another one custom made to run the entire length of the back wall in the second bedroom. This way it works with either bed configuration.

You’ll notice in the “before” photo above the awkward spaces set back either side of the wall. We weren’t sure what the purpose of these were, but the space made it difficult for conventional bedside tables, especially with the different bed configurations. Our solution was to design and have our joiner make the little bookshelves with a cupboard below. These can act as bedside tables and gives those nooks a purpose. Again, we replaced the old lights with matt black ones, and the little stools at the end of the beds are great for bags as well as seats.

Our clients were thrilled with the end result and we thank them for allowing us to share their apartment with you. If you’d like to stay here or recommend it to friends, you can find it here (tell them we sent you).

Dael's Kitchen, Dining, Living | Before & Afters

May 25, 2020

Dael and Lee bought their two-storey home in a great location, close to their girls’ school and with a lovely back aspect out over a tree-filled valley. Dael describes it as a “head” decision, not one made from the heart. She knew the location, size and price point was right for them. The house itself, however, was in need of some work, particularly in changing the layout and flow to make it more functional for their family. The main living area was broken up into the kitchen, a small dining room tucked in between two walls, a large laundry and utility space, and a living room with a separate adjacent sunroom.

You can see how the original kitchen (below) had the breakfast bar facing the living room, but Dael felt like it was encroaching into the living space. She wanted to pivot the kitchen towards the dining area and the outdoors. So the entire kitchen was ripped out and a new galley style kitchen designed.

Dael chose her bench top about a year before when we were visiting the Archant showroom in Auckland. She fell in love with the beautiful porcelain material that looks like stone but has the flexibility to be able to put hot things onto it straight from your oven. She chose a marble look with warm gold veining and created a waterfall end so you can appreciate it’s beauty as you walk into the room, as well as from the living room.

By running the porcelain up the wall behind the cooktop, as well as on the bench top, it creates a clean, seamless look and shows off the beautiful, subtle pattern.

To bring some warmth into the kitchen Dael chose a gorgeous rich wood veneer for the back line up of cupboards. Some people mistakenly assume that wood veneer is an inferior product to solid wood, but we’re here to tell you that’s not the case. It’s environmentally kind - you get 32 veneer surfaces for every solid wood board. The thin (real) wood veneer surface is then glued onto a MDF panel, and because this is a stable substrate it produces a surface that is not prone to warp, split or move. And, the best and most interesting logs are cut into veneers.

The cupboard on the left is a tall pantry, and on the right the fridge is hidden behind another cupboard front for a seamless look, which is great in a small kitchen. Simple brass handles sit flush to the edge of the cupboards to continue the clean lines. A thin LED strip light below the overhead cupboards and under the breakfast bar adds a lovely glow washing down. The front of the breakfast bar is a blackened oak veneer to add a touch of weight to the room.

The new breakfast bar is now positioned in the spot Dael had previously put her dining table (below), taking advantage of the view outside.

The one thing that Dael’s husband, Lee, requested in the new kitchen was a tap that supplied them with hot, cold and boiling filtered water. It’s now something that Dael says she couldn’t do without. It means they don’t need a kettle anymore, and they both love the convenience of having boiling water on tap. But also not having the noise of a kettle in an open plan space has made a really positive difference.

There’s a clear division now between the kitchen and living room, even though it’s all open plan. You can see in the photo below how the barstools were actually on the carpet in the living room.

In the original layout there was a separate sunroom on the front of the living room. It was quite narrow and the family weren’t really using it. So the wall was taken down allowing not only more space, but also a lot more light in the room. The little French doors were kept and repurposed in the new dining room. The old carpet was taken up and the floors between the two living spaces levelled out before new carpet was laid.

Because the window faces the street, Dael installed a double track for her curtains. A semi-sheer curtain is pulled all of the time for privacy, but still lets in light; and in the evening the bottom curtain is pulled for warmth and blockout.

The previous owners had their dining table in the little nook (below) which is opposite the kitchen, and on the other side of the wall, that window led to a laundry and utility space.

Dael and Lee knocked down that wall and relocated the laundry to a large downstairs bathroom. The French doors from the sunroom were put on the old laundry space which is now used as a kitchen overflow cupboard where Dael keeps all her large appliances, platters and vases.

The old dining nook is the perfect spot for the buffet, and we love a good buffet for creating some styling moments!

Leaning art and mirrors rather than hanging them creates a relaxed vibe and allows you to move them around and change your look from time to time. If you’ve watched any of our videos you’ll know that we love trays for grouping and grounding smaller objects.

In this ‘before and after’ you can see the relationship between the different spaces, and how, by knocking out some walls and re-orientating the kitchen, the flow and usability is now so much better.

The final part of the downstairs renovation puzzle for Dael and Lee was the hallway that leads from the front door and bedrooms down to the kitchen, dining, and living rooms. The old carpet was ripped up and the floorboards polished, whilst the wooden steps were carpeted making them so much more quiet. Dael had her builder add battens for a board and batten effect on the walls creating some interest to an otherwise fairly plain space. The large artwork is by our friend and talented photographer Florence Charvin. The custom Armadillo&Co runner from The Ivy House leads you down to the stairway, which is wallpapered in a beautiful Arte paper. The finishing touch is the addition of the stunning lights by David Trubridge.

To summarise, Dael, Lee and their girls are now so much happier with their home. It’s amazing the effect good design and good flow can make on your everyday life!